Found A Reason To Be....

a teacher. Cheesy song from Hoobastank, I know. But they actually do have some kick butt music. Don't take my word for it, listen to their song Crawling in the Dark, a total adrenaline rush. Yeah, yeah, a bit off topic, but that's what I do.

Anyhow, one of my classes this semester is about the history of education in the US. For one of our first assignments, we are charged with reading the book Pillars of the Republic. This one I won't be reviewing for the old blog for two reasons: 1. Not exactly pleasure reading (aka, it's kinda boring unless you're into this stuff) and 2. I have to write a paper about it, which is plenty of review for this fella.

But, one thing that I think is interesting and certainly pertains to the existence of this blog is some discussion in the early chapters about the purpose of the existence of schools. In speaking about the founding fathers on pages 5&6, the author Carl Kaestle says:

"Along with anxieties about the future of the republic these men
shared a sense of opportunity, of responsibility to mankind, a sense that a real
revolution had been made, that they could build a new society based on
enlightened ideas about the perfectibility of men and institutions....this was
the ideal of the American revolution, and education had a critical role in
it"

A mouthful I know. But this quote really captures a couple of the primary reasons I want to be a teacher.

For several years I've struggled with my own "responsibility to mankind". Sure, the work I do has some tangential benefit to people but it is so many steps away from anything I see or do every day that I really only feel like I'm feeding the machine. And any impact I might make is likely very small. The opportunity to touch lives more directly and in a more impactful manner are really what this is all about for me. I am realizing that the moments where this occur in the school are not going to take place every day but I am eager for the opportunity to make a positive impact.

And I've long been a believer to some extent in "the perfectibility of men". Perhaps perfectibility is too strong of a word, I think I prefer the concept of self-improvement. And I've always felt that America in many ways works as a meritocracy, where you are able to improve your lot in life by using your natural abilities and a strong work ethic. I've certainly seen it with many people in my life. And I think that in most situations, education is a big driver of that opportunity. Doors and minds are opened by knowledge, which is often gained through education.

I've always felt myself to be an optimist, with a constant belief that things are getting better for me personally and for society in general over time. I feel like this outlook is very compatible with the description of the ideals of the fathers of the American Revolution in this book. And that is comforting and inspiring to me.

It had been a while since I've done a post of this nature, so I thought it was a good time to get one in. I'll be back to my more inane and meaningless posts next time, when I plan to start doing some pimping

Until next time.

Ace